If you’ve never made stuffed zucchini blossoms, you are in for a treat! They are so delicious and surprisingly easy to make.

I have been eating zucchini blossoms for as long as I can remember. After all, growing up with lots of traditional Italian food has its delicious advantages.

As a kid, my taste buds were way more excited about what my mom was going to make with the zucchini flowers in our garden than with the zucchinis themselves.

Zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese are definitely an Italian favorite, and one of mine. So, when flowers are in season (from May to October, but peaking right now in midsummer), I make this yummy stuffed zucchini blossoms recipe as often as I can!

Stuffed Zucchini Blossom Ingredients and Substitutions

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With the exception of the flowers, all of the ingredients are simple to procure and are probably available at your local grocery store.

Zucchini Blossoms

My family always used the flowers of zucchinis because we grew them. Nowadays, I get them at farmers markets.

And technically, any kind of squash blossoms will do, even pumpkin—they are all edible flowers.

In fact, in Italy, zucca is the term for “pumpkin,” but it is also used to apply to all squash. So, when you see zucca fritti on the menu, you can never be 100% sure what you’re ordering. Ask your server if the answer matters to you.

This recipe calls for male zucchini flowers. Every zucchini plant has male and female flowers. A female flower will have a tiny zucchini attached to it, while a male zucchini flower just has a stem. Female blossoms are also fun to make, but you just need more batter.

Cheese

I combine creamy ricotta with flavorful pecorino Romano, which has a flavor similar to parmesan cheese but has a lower melting temperature. (That’s why it’s perfect for Cacio e Pepe too.)

I prefer the taste and added richness of whole-milk ricotta, but part-skim ricotta is perfectly acceptable here as well.

Parsley

Fresh herbs are the way to go. My preference is Italian parsley (also known as flat leaf parsley). Basil can also be nice, but it can overpower the taste of the delicate zucchini flowers.

Beer

I use beer in my batter because that’s what my Italian nonna used. However, sparkling water can be substituted if you prefer.

I don’t like to use infused, dark, or hoppy beers; I feel that a pilsner, blonde, or lager low in IBUs works best.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms Recipe

Ingredients

For Stuffing the Blossoms

1 large egg
1 cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese 
1 tablespoon parsley, roughly chopped 
½ teaspoon sea salt 
½ teaspoon black pepper 
12–14 male zucchini blossoms 

For the Batter

2 large eggs
½ cup beer
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sea salt

For Frying

1 cup extra virgin olive oil (although the quantity will vary a bit depending on your pan)

Instructions

Stuffing the Zucchini Blossoms

1. Beat one egg in a medium bowl.

2. Add the ricotta, pecorino, parsley, salt, and pepper to the egg and stir until well combined.

3. The easiest way to stuff the flowers is to use a quart-sized ziplock baggie or a pastry bag. If using a baggie, pour the ricotta cheese mixture in, then cut off a small triangle from one of the baggie’s bottom corners with a pair of scissors. This is the hole through which your mixture will be piped.

Piping the cheese mixture into a flower with a baggie

4. Place the cut end of your baggie into the base of a blossom and fill the center of the flower until you reach where the petals separate. Place the stuffed blossom on a plate, then repeat until all squash flowers are stuffed.

5. When all zucchini blossoms are stuffed, begin the batter.

Batter

1. Add the flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl.

2. In a separate large bowl, beat 2 eggs. Add the beer to the beaten eggs and whisk to combine.

3. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the dry ingredients (the flour mixture).

4. When well combined, start the frying process.

Frying the Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet or large frying pan on medium-high. Oil should be high enough to cover half the height of the thickest part of the blossoms.

2. When oil is hot, dredge a stuffed flower through the batter so that it is completely covered in batter. I like a light batter, so I then let some of the excess batter drip off into the bowl.

dredging a stuffed blossom in the batter

3. Place the battered flower in the hot oil. Don’t crowd your pan. I usually cook four or five squash flowers at a time. And I always wind up lowering the flame to medium heat halfway through the batch.

4. Cook blossoms for 1–2 minutes on both sides until golden brown. This will provide you with a crispy batter. Use a slotted spoon to remove flowers from the pan.

5. Place the cooked flowers on a plate covered with a paper towel. Repeat the process until all stuffed blossoms are fried.

6. Stuffed zucchini flowers are best when freshly cooked. Serve immediately—but don’t burn yourself.

Serving Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

If your family hasn’t wiped the plate clean before you’re ready to serve your blossoms, here are a few notes that may help.

Appetizer or . . .

In restaurants, fiori di zucca can be found in the appetizer section of the menu, so that’s a no-brainer.

At home, I often serve my fiori di zucca as a side dish to meatballs or frittatas. Try one of these: Frittata di Zucchini or Frittata di Pasta.

Because my family loves zucchini blossoms so much, I have no problem serving stuffed blossoms as a main course with a Burrata Panzanella Salad or Sicilian eggplant and crusty bread.

The last time I made my blossoms, I served them alongside a zucchini blossom pizza and other finger foods.

You can even add them to a cheese board.

Stuffed zucchini blossoms with a zucchini blossom pizza on a plate

Variations

The Cheese Filling

If you’ve had stuffed zucchini blossoms in Rome, they most likely had an anchovy fillet added to the ricotta mixture. This is my husband’s favorite way to enjoy them.

I often add chopped prosciutto to the cheese mixture because my husband also loves his Italian salumi.

You can try different Italian cheeses in the stuffing, like mozzarella, grana padana, or even goat cheese.

You can even choose not to stuff them at all. Fried zucchini flowers are also a popular food in Nice, France, and there they are most often unstuffed.

The Batter

If you substitute soda water for the beer, consider adding lemon zest and a dash of fresh lemon juice (2–3 lemon wedges should do) for added flavor.

Sauces

Personally, I don’t need a sauce, and in Italy, zucchini blossoms are usually not served with one. However, if I’m serving them as an appetizer, I usually include a small bowl of aioli or homemade pesto sauce on the plate for presentation purposes.

At Italian restaurants in the U.S., I most often see the female zucchini flowers served. Dipping sauces have included everything from marinara sauce to apricot chile jam.